Machiavelli Would Enjoy Today’s FTC

Congratulations on your promotion. We look forward to working with you, are jealous, and hope you fail.

The above summarizes an open letter of “congratulations” that Federal Trade Commissioners Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter issued last night on Twitter/X to their colleague, Commissioner Andrew Ferguson. It came less than 12 hours after President-elect Trump announced he will name Commissioner Ferguson Chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) when he takes office.

President-elect Trump also announced yesterday that he is nominating Mark Meador, a well-respected attorney and former senior staffer to Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), to be a Commissioner at the FTC. Following Senate confirmation, Mr. Meador would fill the position of its controversial current chair, Lina Khan.

The Bedoya/Slaughter letter questions Ferguson’s priorities and infers that he does not care about the price of groceries, gasoline, medical care, or other key cost of living items.

The reality is that Commissioner Ferguson is a thoughtful, well-respected jurist, and his colleagues know that. On March 7, the U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed him as an FTC Commissioner. Even current FTC Chair Lina Khan graciously welcomed him following his confirmation.

If Commissioners Bedoya and Slaughter, who have worked with Ferguson for eight months, are concerned about his views, they can walk a few feet down from their offices and talk with him face-to-face.

For nearly three years until March 2024, Commissioners Bedoya, Slaughter, and Khan were the only commissioners on the five-member body and had largely unchecked power. Sharing an aggressive, progressive agenda, they put forward an array of damaging proposals that have harmed consumers, placed a wet blanket on business activity, and adopted intrusive, costly practices that harm many businesses.

The FTC needs to get back to its roots and statutory mission of being a bipartisan, cerebral legal organization. It needs to focus on protecting consumers from fraud and analyzing proposed mergers on a case-by-case basis to determine if they will harm consumers.

President-elect Trump’s announcements yesterday are a good start. A public apology from Commissioners Bedoya and Slaughter to Commissioner Ferguson is also in order.

Note: This was written by Lexington Institute Senior Fellow Paul Steidler and it also appears on his LinkedIn page.